Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
If you wander round the narrow streets in central Faro long enough you will eventually find a menu to your liking and such was my experience up the Rua Vasco da Gama and came across Fim Do Mundo restaurant. It it wasn't for the couple of outside tables, you'd miss it. But inside it's a rather rustic traditional restaurant serving the local fare and very reasonably priced also with a very acceptable bottle of house wine.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
The old town in Faro or Cidade Velha, can best be appreciated with a leisurely walk through it, and around it's walled perimeter. Parts of the wall go back to Roman times, but mostly from around the 16th century - the golden age of Faro. Rua do Alberge, runs along the north and west perimeter of the old town, and a very quiet part of town it is.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
Right opposite the railway station and last watering hole before catching your train, the local cafe is a mecca for backpackers. Well there's a few locals there watching some portuguese football team on the local TV station, but with beer at 1 Euro a bottle it attracts a lot of other people as well. A great place to sit and watch the world go by on the bright yellow chairs.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
Walking up from the railway station in central Faro early evening, you wander through many narrow streets, most one way they're so narrow, and now and again punctuated by noisy squares with it's token bar/restaurant. Just north of the railway station is also where the better restaurants are, away from the slightly more touristy area around the marina.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
Hotel Eva sits in a commanding position at one end of the marina in Faro. Only a short distance from the airport, it's a great location to explore central Faro. If you stay at Hotel Eva, be sure to book the rooms overlooking the Marina, and the wetlands beyond.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
Eager boat trip sale people, sheltering in their tents from the sun, line one side of the pretty palm lined marina in Faro. Just beyond the marina is an important wetland marine conservation area, where most of the trips go to, or one of the few little islands further out to sea.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
Tavira is at the eastern edge of the Algarve and I reached it by a short rail journey from Faro, of only 30 minutes or so. It's a fairly popular town to visit and maintains it's old world charm, with much of the centre a pedestrian only zone. This is a picture of an anonymous street on the walk back to the railway station from the centre of town.
Original watercolour 15" x 11"
The architecture of the old part of Olhão reveals the Arab influence in the region. You could well think you're in Agadir or somewhere in Morocco. In the hectic and noisy environment of the two markets, situated on the promenade by the sea, you can admire an impressive diversity of fish and seafood every morning.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
Funchal, the capitol of Madiera and a magnificent natural amphitheater overlooking the Atlantic and contrasting with the towering mountains above it. Today it's a major destination for many cruise lines and sometimes you feel that half the population of the city/town is made up of day trippers. This view is near the sea front and the bottom of the Rue Profestas, just down from the central market, and a location for many street cafes and restaurants.
Original Watercolour 15" x 11"
The centre of Olhao marked by the two separate halves of the indoor markets, here left and right of my sketch, and right outside the entrances were hundreds of tables and chairs making it a real focus for people to gather and meet, perhaps after some shopping.
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